Source: Agence France Presse
Security & Justice
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Hezbollah Faces Internal Criticism Over Missing Fighters and Captured Prisoners
Hezbollah is grappling with increasing internal and external pressure as the fate of over 1,000 of its fighters remains uncertain following the recent war with Israel, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper revealed.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Wednesday 30 October 2024 17:48:27
Saudi Hosts Meeting of New Group Pushing for Palestinian State
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday hosted the first meeting of a new "international alliance" to press for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Unveiled last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the "International Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution" brings together nations from the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said nearly 90 "states and international organisations" were taking part in the two-day meeting in Riyadh.
"A genocide is happening with the goal of evicting the Palestinian people from their land, which Saudi Arabia rejects," he said, describing the humanitarian situation as "catastrophic" and denouncing the "complete blockade" of northern Gaza.
The Riyadh meeting was expected to focus on humanitarian access, the embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees and measures to advance a two-state solution, diplomats said.
The European Union was set to be represented by Sven Koopmans, the special representative for the Middle East peace process, diplomats said.
The United States, Israel's most important military backer, sent Hady Amr, the State Department's special representative for Palestinian affairs.
The Gaza war has revived talk of a "two-state solution" in which Israeli and Palestinian states would live in peace side by side, though analysts say the goal seems more unattainable than ever.
The hard-right Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains implacably opposed to Palestinian statehood.
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and custodian of Islam's two holiest sites, paused US-brokered talks on recognising Israel after the Gaza war broke out between Palestinian militants Hamas and Israel.
In September, the kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said an "independent Palestinian state" was a condition for normalisation.
Prince Faisal reiterated that position on Wednesday.
Ireland, Norway and Spain announced their recognition of a Palestinian state in May, prompting an angry response from Israel.
Slovenia soon joined them, bringing the number of countries that recognise a Palestinian state to 146 out of the 193 UN member states.
The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 43,061 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.
